LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) - Art can define the identity of a community, and one artist is bringing the vision of her home into focus while celebrating the Coast Life.
“Art is meant to get a reaction,” Julia Reyes said.
Julia Reyes creates reactions, using her experiences and observations to turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
“Whenever I approach a new project, I dive into research,” Reyes said. “I take what the client says, find something they say that’s interesting to me, I’ll take that and run with it.”
Julia’s murals are becoming a common sight on the Coast. You can see her work at the baseball stadium in Biloxi, downtown Ocean Springs, and even the water park in Gulfport.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It [murals] feeds me in a way that I don’t get bored,” Reyes said. “It challenges me, and that’s proven to be something that’s important to me.”
Her latest labor of love is taking shape in Long Beach.
“They were wanting to do a Long Beach-inspired, welcome to Long Beach mural.”
The new welcoming sign on the side of Bacchus Wine and Liquor includes the city’s trademark, in the radish capital of the world.
“People seem to be excited about having something added to their community, which gives me motivation out in the heat. That’s one of the things I love about doing mural work, I’m literally in the environment, so I kind of get to know the street as I’m working outside. That adds to the work, they become a part of it.”
ADVERTISEMENT
A brush has never been far from Julia’s hands, but when she was a student at Biloxi High School, her vision didn’t necessarily include building an artistic legacy on the Coast.
“I always thought I was going to move away, I said as soon as I graduate, I’m going to move away. Then it just seemed like things were pulling me here in a good way. I decided it’s important that people just don’t leave their community but walk through the door once it opens. I feel like I’ve found such a community down here over time, and somehow it just works out.”
The Coastal horizons keep expanding for Julia in a variety of artistic ways. She’s even designed alternate jerseys for the Biloxi Shuckers and her murals will help brighten days for years to come.
“I feel like public art lends itself for people to enjoy, add to the environment, and make it more creative just by existing in it.”
Her work isn’t limited to just the Coast. Julia’s taking on projects around the region. She just finished up a mural in the Delta town of Belzoni, Mississippi.
You can also find samples of her art on display for the next month at the Greenhouse in Biloxi.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2024 WLOX. All rights reserved.